KS3 History: How life changed in Elizabethan England

DR IAN MORTIMER:'Elizabeth the First's reign is a time of great change in England, especially for the middle classes. Your journey begins at the very heart of the country.' In towns like Stratford, a revolution is taking place. It transforms the lives of ordinary people and changes the face of every street in the land.

DR IAN MORTIMER:It's not a scientific discovery, it's not a political development, it is, in fact, the humble chimney. 'Chimneys mean that buildings can expand upwards, and you can now heat every room in your home. The arrival of the chimney is just the beginning of what becomes a social revolution. Driving this innovation is the availability of cheap bricks.'

DR IAN MORTIMER:'Mass production means they are now affordable for the many, not just the few. Chimneys were previously found in castles and grand houses, but never in the homes of ordinary people. Thanks to the humble chimney, you can now live in a state-of-the-art two storey townhouse,'

DR IAN MORTIMER:'not an unfashionable single storey Mediaeval home. Essential if you want to show you're on the up.' Bear in mind that Elizabethan England is, on average, two degrees colder than you're used to, with very cold snaps in the 1570s and the 1590s. So a chimney means your stay will be a lot more comfortable,

DR IAN MORTIMER:especially if you want to have a bedchamber of your own, rather than sleep in the hall with everyone else. In 1558, a chimney is the way to keep up with the Jones's. But in 1598, it's glass that is the ultimate status symbol. From now on, moderately wealthy gentlemen can afford to flood their houses with natural light.

DR IAN MORTIMER:But it's still expensive. You may have glass at the front of your house to show off, and still make do with shutters at the back. 'In towns like Stratford, old buildings are being converted or demolished everywhere you look. It seems as if almost everyone is moving into the town, and in fact, many are.'

DR IAN MORTIMER:It's not just Stratford that's growing rapidly. Over the 45 years of the Queen's reign, the population of England rises from 3.2 million to 4.1 million.

DR IAN MORTIMER:That's more than 25% more people to feed, clothe and house. England won't see such a high level of growth again until the end of the 18th Century. 'Elizabethan England sees several positive changes that make a real difference to the lives of the ambitious middle classes. Without a doubt, the most far-reaching of these'

DR IAN MORTIMER:'is the publication of books in English. Over the course of the 16th Century, the proportion of books published in English increases rapidly. This, in turn, encourages many ordinary people to read.' For prosperous townsmen, this is a major revelation. Suddenly, they too could acquire knowledge

DR IAN MORTIMER:and explore their world through literature. 'Books are soon published on a wide range of subjects. Everything from cookery to medicine, and even how to fire a cannon.' But it's the Bible in English which is the real bestseller of the age. For the first time, people can read the word of God in their own homes,

DR IAN MORTIMER:and consider its meanings for themselves. It becomes the ultimate self-help book. 'To read is to better yourself and move up the social ladder. But as you can already read, you're at a major advantage. Literacy can be your ticket to greatness in Elizabeth's England.' At the start of the 16th Century,

DR IAN MORTIMER:only one in 10 men can read and write, but by the end of Elizabeth's reign, that has increased to one in four. Even more strikingly, the proportion of women who can read and write increases from 1% to 10%. That's a tenfold increase. It marks are evolution. From now on, men aren't the only readers,

DR IAN MORTIMER:women can read too, and they can publish. 'The publishing of books in English has a major impact on literacy. But for the ambitious and brightest, there's another, more formal, route to education, school. Traditionally, a formal education has only been available to the wealthy few.'

DR IAN MORTIMER:'But increasingly, new grammar schools, that is schools that teach boys to read and write in Latin, are springing up across the country. Printing is one of three things identified by the great English philosopher Francis Bacon, as making the Elizabethan age so different from what went earlier.'

DR IAN MORTIMER:'The other two are gunpowder and the compass. In Elizabeth's England, advances in scientific knowledge go hand-in-hand with exploration.' Perhaps the most famous adventurer of them all is Sir Francis Drake. He is the very embodiment of an Elizabethan self-made man. From humble beginnings in Devon,

DR IAN MORTIMER:he rises to become one of the richest and most celebrated men in the kingdom. In 1577, he sets out

DR IAN MORTIMER:in command of a fleet of five ships, with two hundred men.

DR IAN MORTIMER:Three years later, having sailed round the world, he returns with just one ship and 56 men, but a mountain of treasure. 'Drake is a man whom you'll definitely want to meet. No-one knows exactly how much he brings back from the ships and ports he's attacked,'

DR IAN MORTIMER:'but the Spanish, from whom he steals most of his loot, put the figure at £600,000, which is an absolute fortune at this time. Drake, a man from an ordinary family, rises all the way to the top of Elizabethan society,'

DR IAN MORTIMER:'with the help of stolen Spanish gold.' Men like Drake used a compass and other new technologies to navigate their way round the world. But it's gunpowder and cannon that allowed them to make their fortunes. 'Drake's Golden Hind is armed with 18 cannon. 14 of these are capable of sending an iron cannonball,'

DR IAN MORTIMER:'weighing some four pounds, into the packed decks and sails of his enemy's ships. Drake, along with other Elizabethan adventurers, begins to challenge the Spanish for control of the world's oceans. If you are serious about voyaging into the great unknown with Francis Drake, there are a few things to bear in mind.'

DR IAN MORTIMER:Life aboard an ocean-going ship is unbelievably hard. As a crew member, you wouldn't have any private space, the food is atrocious, and it's likely you'll get scurvy on a long voyage. That means you'll probably lose some teeth, your gums will start to rot, and your breath will stink.

DR IAN MORTIMER:There are no washing facilities, so the smell of your body will soon overpower even that of your reeking breath. You can't shave either, so your beard will start to grow, and insects will grow in your beard. In fact, you whole body will be covered in lice and fleas. 'And unfortunately, if you do seek out adventure,'

3100:08:07:22 00:08:09:17DR IAN MORTIMER:'you probably won't live very long.'

DR IAN MORTIMER:'82% of sailors are under 30, as death rates are so high. After his rampaging voyage around the globe, and success against the Spanish, Drake returns to England a hero. You too can bask in his glory, that is, if you make it back to England alive. Drake shares his fortune with the crown,'

DR IAN MORTIMER:'and reluctantly, Queen Elizabeth knights him. He has risen from simple, unsophisticated beginnings, to become one of the most famous men of the age. Having travelled the globe, English explorers and adventurers bring back a mass of new discoveries that help transform the understanding of the natural world.'

DR IAN MORTIMER:Explorers from all over Europe, including Englishmen such as Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh, bring back plants and animals from the New World with which you'll be very familiar, the potato, the tomato, tobacco and the turkey. These discoveries caused great excitement, for they support the idea that, when God created the world,

DR IAN MORTIMER:He created cures for all mankind's diseases. 'The result is an expansion in botanical gardens which are stocked with every plant that might prove useful to the Elizabethans. You might want to discuss these new discoveries with John Gerard, the leading herbalist of the age.'

DR IAN MORTIMER:Gerard compiles the most comprehensive catalogue of plants yet undertaken,

DR IAN MORTIMER:'and the science of botany takes a huge leap forward.'

DR IAN MORTIMER:John Gerard is keen to explore the medicinal and nutritional properties of every plant he can find. Of the newly discovered tomato, he writes, "They yield very little nourishment to the body, and are only cultivated for their colour". Prosperous Elizabethans put tomatoes and potatoes on their banquet tables,

DR IAN MORTIMER:not to eat, but for exotic decoration. In short, the tomato is a status symbol. 'For you today, tobacco, potatoes and tomatoes are everyday items that would barely get a second glance. But to the Elizabethans, these are exotic novelties that prove there's a whole world out there waiting to be discovered.'

DR IAN MORTIMER:If you visit England at the start of the Queen's reign, and then again at the end, you'll find a profoundly different place. Scientific and geographic knowledge have been transformed beyond recognition, and everyday life has undergone a revolution.